


Colonies End

by Gemstarzah



Series: LIfe of a Golden Haired Elf [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Family, Multi, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 12:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3208937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemstarzah/pseuds/Gemstarzah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elessar has given up his life. The time of the elves of Ithilien is over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colonies End

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this challenge: http://teitho.waking-vision.com/modules.php?name=Intern&file=challenge119

The time for the dominion of men had come. For the past century, she and her mate had dwelled with others of their race in Ithilien. Now, things were changing once more. She saw a rider coming out towards their little settlement, and she wondered what this man of Gondor wanted this time from her people.

_How many times has my mate ridden out to battle beside Aran Ellessar over the years since we came here?_

There had been many times. A few of those times, she had gone with him, but, more often than not of late, she had remained home, here in Ithilien. There had been other things for her to watch over here. Including an elfling.

Her daughter had inherited her naneth’s grey eyes, but, her shining golden hair was undoubtedly her father’s.

The rider was much closer now.

“Greetings to you, Rider from Gondor,” Faingwaloth called, eyes looking at him carefully. The rider was brown haired, like his father, Faramir, only there were golden highlights to it, from his mother.

She knew who it was. Elboron, Prince of Ithilien, and son of Faramir and Éowyn.

_Whatever brings him to us this time, I do not think it is a good thing._

“What brings you all the way out from Emyn Arnen?” she asked as his horse slowed to a stop. There was sadness on his face which she could not fathom the reasoning for.

 _Surely he cannot still be grieving over his fathers death._ Faramir had passed away almost four decades ago. It would not be right for his son to mourn him still, very unhealthy for this man.

“Elboron? You can tell me, you know.”

"Is Legolas here?"

 _Why does he want my mate?_ Faingwaloth was starting to worry a little when it came to why Elboron had come. She knew she would gain nothing from the young man, but, it did not help with her being stressed over what was going on where her mate was involved.

Faingwaloth thought for a few moments as to where her mate was. She knew he was out in the woods, doing something not too far from their home. He was due to come back home soon, and she looked forward to it. Always she did, as did their daughter, Faingail.

"No, but, he will be back shortly. What has happened?"

Elboron nodded. "I will wait for him to return then. I would rather not repeat this."

It seemed something distressing had occurred over in Minas Tirith.

“I understand. Please, come in and wait for him inside.”

* * *

Not long after they’d both settled in the couches in the main room, Faingwaloth heard the familiar quiet tread of her mate’s feet on the paths in the forest.

“I will be back in a moment, Elboron.”

She headed out of the room, and out of the house to wait for Legolas.

Legolas smiled when he saw her, as was usual.

Faingwaloth met him a little way down the path.

“Elboron garo si an cen ammen, melleth,” she said.

“E garo?” Legolas blinked, surprised at what she’d told him.

She nodded, before answering that one in common old Westron. “He says he brings a message for you.”

Legolas paused for a second at the door. “Is it anything good?” he asked in Sindarin.

Faingwaloth shook her head.

“I have reason to believe it is not anything good. He would not say why he has come this time until you are there.”

Once they were inside, Legolas moved straight to where their guest was sitting.

“Mae govannen, Elboron.” The golden haired ellon paused. “What is amiss?”

Elboron looked over at Legolas as he entered.

“I am glad you were not far away. Queen Arwen sends word that the king wants to see you. She says he will not be around much longer, that he believes it is time Prince Eldarion takes his place."

Legolas blinked, seeming shocked. "I do not know what to say to that."

Elboron inclined his head. "I would suggest if you want to see him again, that you should hurry. I will head back to the city now."

After some moments, Legolas nodded faintly.

"Thank you, Elboron for letting us know of this," Faingwaloth said, as she walked with him toward the entrance to her home. She had the feeling Legolas might not want to go and see Aragorn before he died. _More likely that he will want to sail and remember Aragorn as being alive, than sailing and knowing he has died,_ she thought to herself.

She watched as Elboron rode off, before turning to go back inside. While she had not known Aragorn as Legolas had, even she had felt the worth that he had brought to the throne of Gondor over the past century. Soon, she knew they would be on their way to the shores of Valinor.

* * *

Legolas hadn’t moved far from where he had been, only to sit down on one of the seats in their lounge space. His face was hidden in his hands, and she knew he was very grieved by the news Elboron had brought them.

Faingwaloth sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around her mates’ shoulders.

“Legolas?”

They had known this day would come eventually, whether by injury in battle or old age when it came to the High-King of Gondor and Arnor. _Did Legolas not say he would linger here as long as Aragorn still lived?_ It seemed the time had come for them to part ways with Middle-Earth at last.

Soon, she knew she would be able to see her own naneth again, and so would Legolas.

“You should go to him, melleth. I can look after things here while you travel to Minas Tirith to talk to him one last time.”

Legolas shook his head. “I do not want to remember him as one who has passed away from where we can talk to him,” he replied. “We will build our ship, and when it is confirmed that he has passed, we will sail.”

The ship, Faingwaloth knew would take time to build.

* * *

Weeks passed before they heard any news. Gimli, the dwarf Faingwaloth had taken time to get used to having around, considering he was from Erebor, helped where he could even though he was getting very old.

At long last, a ship had been built and was moored off the shores of the Anduin. It would not be long before the ship sailed, and Faingwaloth looked around the sparse furnishings of the flet that served as their bedroom. The last of their personal belongings were being taken down to the ship, and she knew this was the last time she’d be on a flet for some time.

 _Our people are leaving these lands,_ she thought. _They have been for some time now. Now, it is our turn to head for the new start Valinor offers us._

She turned, to head out of the room, reaching for her old bow and quiver as she went. It was an old habit.

Her daughter was not coming with them this time. No, over the years, Faingail and Elboron had become very close, and Fangwaloth knew she would not see her daughter again until she sailed, after Elboron died.

They had a grandson now. Barahir was only a little boy, but, he was a happy peredhel. _I will miss seeing him when they come to visit_. She knew she might not ever see her grandson again, it was the one thing she knew Lord Elrond had not been thrilled about when it came to Arwen choosing Aragorn.

Faingwaloth found Legolas waiting for her down in one of the rooms near the door to their flet.

“Well, the time has come,” she murmured.

“Indeed, to say goodbye to Faingail for a while, and Barahir forever, more than likely,” Legolas said. Allowing Faingail to choose Elboron as her mate had not been easy for the Sindarin elf. In the end he had not been able to deny that she was quite happy with the Prince of Ithilien.

It had been hard times for the Prince of Eryn Lasgalen. He had sent word to Mirkwood that he would be leaving soon for Valinor. To their surprise, other elves had arrived in answer to that message, including King Thranduil himself, and Legolas’ siblings.

“We will also come,” Thranduil had said.

Gollathron had agreed about that. “My son, Celebdor, will take over ruling Eryn Lasgalen now. He wanted me to stay with the rest of our family, and he knows he is more than ready to take care of things there. We all agreed that it would be possible for him to take the throne not me.”

“I am glad you are not leaving the rest of the family behind. We’ll see our daughter again, and your nephew, at some point.”

Both of them blinked when they reached the ship. There were many men standing on the banks of the river, some they knew to be from Ithilien, others to be from Minas Tirith. Plus one older elleth, standing beside Aragorn’s son.

Faingwaloth looked over at Arwen. Undomiel she might still be, but, even Faingwaloth could see the sorrow radiating from her. Faingwaloth turned, moving over to where Arwen was.

“It is unfortunate that he is gone, Arwen,” she said, voice soft, unsure how the half-elven daughter of Elrond would react.

“I knew this would come to pass, Faingwaloth. As my father said, death would be in my future if I chose to give up the fate of the elves. Soon, I will join Aragorn again. It seems the long life I was granted is over. Until you are all gone from here, I will linger on.”

“Where will you go? There is no one in Lothlórien, or Imladris.”

“I will still seek out Cerin Amroth, and will stay there until I die,” Arwen replied. “Ada will have forgiven me for my choice, I hope.”

Faingwaloth inclined her head. “I cannot say how things will go when it comes to Lord Elrond. Namaarie, Arwen, Aran Eldarion.”

She would of course, let Elrond know, if she met him, that Arwen had died. It was the right thing to do.

Faingwaloth turned once more to head over to the ship, noting that her daughter stood beside Elboron, holding Faingwaloth’s grandson in her arms.

“I will see you again soon, Faingail,” she said, as she reached her daughter. “When the time comes for you to cross the seas as well.” It was something that gladdened her, knowing she was not saying goodbye to her beloved daughter forever. The time would come, when Faingail joined them in Valinor.

She was glad, that her daughter had chosen Elboron, not Eldarion. For that would have been a human who was too close to them, he was family after all to her. For Galadriel was Faingwaloth’s aunt, as much as she was also Arwen’s grandmother. _I would never have been able to allow such a relationship had it come to pass._

“I can only wish that your time together, however long remains is good for both of you,” she said, looking from one face to another. “Also that Barahir does not face any of the perils we all have over the past centuries.”

“Thank you once more, Lady Faingwaloth,” Elboron replied, smiling slightly. “You will all be missed here in Ithilien.”

“It would never have been forever that we were here, that we knew from the start,” Faingwaloth replied, before she hugged her daughter and grandson, and then headed up onto the ship to stand with the rest of her family.

The ship was untethered from the dock, and together, Faingwaloth and Legolas watched as their friends who could not come moved further away from them, and finally out of sight as the ship drifted along the Anduin.

**Author's Note:**

> Translation:  
> Faingail – White Bright Light  
> Elboron garo si an cen ammen, melleth- Elboron is here to see us, love.  
> E garo? – He is?  
> Celebdor – Silver Forest  
> Ada - father  
> Namaarie – farewell  
> Aran – King


End file.
